Recently, my good friend Joel and I spent a weekend in London. We stayed in Soho, watched some football, explored the neighborhood, and, in the interest of serious research, visited quite a few pubs.
So I decided to rank them.
Notice that I am calling this my top 10 pubs in Soho, not the top 10 pubs in Soho. I haven’t visited every pub in the neighborhood. In fact, there are some famous Soho pubs, such as the Coach & Horses, that I’ve visited on previous trips but aren’t included here.
The inspiration for our pub exploration came from Thomas Vosper’s Historic Pub Crawls Through London. Most of the pubs we visited can be found in Volume Two.
I ranked them using five simple criteria: atmosphere, character, comfort, historic interest and, of course, the beer. But perhaps the most important question was even simpler: Would I go back?
Here are my rankings.
10. The Toucan
I wanted to like The Toucan.
It’s a famous little Soho pub with a reputation for serving great Guinness. Unfortunately, that wasn’t my experience.
The pub is tiny, and when we visited, my Guinness was served in a plastic cup. That’s a big no-go in my book.
Would I go back? Maybe. Enough people love this place that I’m willing to give it another chance.
Verdict: Overhyped — at least based on my visit.
9. The Three Greyhounds
From the outside, The Three Greyhounds looks fantastic. It’s exactly what you picture when you think about an old London pub.
Unfortunately, the experience inside has never lived up to the exterior for me.
I’ve now visited three times and have never been particularly impressed. This time, we even had to wait in line to get inside.
Would I go back? No. Three strikes and you’re out.
Verdict: Great exterior, disappointing experience.
8. Shakespeare’s Head
Shakespeare’s Head earns its place on the list partly because of its location.
Grab a beer, head outside, and watch Soho walk past you.
And if you’ve spent any time in Soho, you know that this neighborhood is full of characters.
Would I go back? Hell yes.
Verdict: Best people watching.
7. The Green Man
If you want to combine two of my favorite things — pubs and football — The Green Man is a good choice.
Joel and I watched the EFL Championship playoff final at Wembley from here and had a blast.
Would I go back? Probably, but mainly if there was a football match I wanted to watch.
Verdict: Best pub on the list for watching football.
6. The Ship
A food tour guide recommended The Ship after we asked where we should grab a pint in Soho.
I’m glad we listened.
It’s comfortable, relaxed, and exactly the kind of place where you can grab a beer and unwind at the end of a long day exploring London. It also happened to be right around the corner from our hotel.
Verdict: Cozy and comfortable.
5. The Clachan
The Clachan makes the top five largely because of one thing: The building.
Its ornate exterior is magnificent, and the interior continues the classic London pub atmosphere.
Grab a pint, slow down for a few minutes and take a look around.
Verdict: Best architecture.
4. The John Snow
Yes, Game of Thrones fans, it’s John Snow. But not that Jon Snow.
The pub is named after Dr. John Snow, the physician famous for tracing London’s 1854 cholera outbreak to a contaminated water pump on Broad Street. A replica of the pump stands outside the pub today.
There’s also a wonderfully appropriate bit of history associated with the story: people drinking beer were often safer than people drinking contaminated water.
Life lesson? When in doubt, drink the beer. Worst case, you’ll die with a smile on your face.
Verdict: Most historic.
3. The Old Coffee House
This might be my hot take. The Old Coffee House had more personality than any other pub we visited.
We weren’t necessarily planning to stop there. We were walking past when Joel looked at it and basically said, “That place looks funky. Let’s go in.” He was right.
There’s stuff hanging from the ceiling. It’s cozy. It’s quirky, and not particularly polished.
And that’s exactly why I liked it.
The beer was good, the atmosphere was memorable, and I would absolutely return on my next visit to Soho.
Verdict: Best personality.
2. The Argyll Arms
If you asked me which pub on this list best represents the classic London pub experience, I’d pick the Argyll Arms.
Look around when you walk inside.
The ornate ceiling. The etched glass. The traditional snugs.
It’s classy without feeling pretentious, and it’s a great place to enjoy a pint while taking in the surroundings.
Verdict: Best traditional London pub.
1. The Devonshire
My number one probably won’t surprise anyone who knows London’s pub scene.
The Devonshire lives up to the hype.
There are two big reasons.
First, the Guinness is world-class. Many people consider it among the best pints of Guinness in London.
Second, the food is excellent.
If you’re going to eat at one Soho pub, this would be my choice.
Here’s my strategy: The pub opens at 11:00. Get there early. Order a pint. Lunch starts at noon, so stick around and eat.
The rest of your day may be downhill from there.
Verdict: Best overall — killer Guinness and excellent food.
The Final Rankings
- The Devonshire — Best overall: Guinness and food
- The Argyll Arms — Best traditional London pub
- The Old Coffee House — Best personality
- The John Snow — Most historic
- The Clachan — Best architecture
- The Ship — Coziest
- The Green Man — Best for watching football
- Shakespeare’s Head — Best people watching
- The Three Greyhounds — Great exterior, disappointing experience
- The Toucan — Overhyped, but I might give it another chance
That’s my list.
But Soho has far too many pubs for any one list to settle the argument.
So I’ll finish with the same question I asked at the end of the video:
What’s your number one pub in Soho?
Tell me I’m right. Tell me I’m wrong. Or, better yet, give me another pub to explore the next time I’m in London.
I’ll see you in Soho.
I am Doug Keating, and this is my letter to my sons.